Mona Lisa – the mystery deepens

Posted On: 06:53:55 - 13/12/2015 - Viewed: 535

The subtle smile of the "Mona Lisa" has enchanted the art world for more than 500 years. But does it belong to an entirely different woman?

Mona Lisa – the mystery deepensThe subtle smile of the "Mona Lisa" has enchanted the art world for more than 500 years. But does it belong to an entirely different woman?
Using a new kind of light technology, scientist Pascal Cotte said he spent ten years interpreting the layers of the 16th-century oil painting. French scientist says he has revealed three hidden paintings beneath the surface of Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece – one of which is likely to be the real portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, the woman thought to be the subject of the painting.

The hidden picture shows a woman looking into the distance, with no trace of the characteristic smile. Cotte believes he has discovered the genuine portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, also known as Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine merchant.
“We can now analyze exactly what is happening inside the layers of the paint and we can peel, like an onion, all the layers of the painting. We can reconstruct all the chronology of the creation of the painting,” Cotte told the BBC of the alleged discovery.
Art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon described the finding as “jawdropping” and believes it reveals a completely different woman. “The Louvre are going to have to change their label,” he said.
But art historian - Mona Lisa expert Martin Kemp told the BBC “The idea that there is that picture as it were hiding underneath the surface is untenable”. “I do not think there are these discrete stages which represent different portraits. I see it as more or less a continuous process of evolution. I am absolutely convinced that the Mona Lisa is Lisa,” he said.
The Louvre, Mona Lisa’s home since 1797, allowed Mr Cotte access to the painting in 2004, but has declined to comment on his claims because it “was not part of the scientific team”, reported the BBC.
Mr Cotte, who co-founded the Paris-based company Lumiere Technology, will present his findings in the upcoming BBC documentary, “The Secrets of the Mona Lisa”.